mccain



P. H. M CAIN June 18, 1929.-

' MACHINE FOR FEEDING NUT BLANKS AND THE LIKE 2 Sheets-Sheet Filed Oct. so. 1925 P. H. M CAIN June 18, 1929.

MACHINE FOR FEEDING NUT BLANKS AND THE LIKE Filed Oct. 30. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 0 Q Z \I z HH I-KMIL s A 1/ lu/44 Patented June 18, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

PAUL H. MCCAIN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO ECONOMY SCREW CORPOR.A-' TION, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

MACHINE FOR FEEDING- NUT BLANKS AND THE LIKE.

Application filed October 30, 1925.

This invention relates to improvements in machines for feeding blanks, such as nut blanks, washers and the like, regardless of their shape, to a machine where further op eration is to be performed on them, and has more particular reference to mechanism embodying a hopper like receptacle into which a number of blanks are indiscriminately thrown and from which hopper the blanks are automatically delivered and substantially continuously by means of a rotatable element operating within the hopper and having a constant direction of motion.

To the attainment of these ends and the accomplishment of other new and useful objects as will appear, the invention consists in the features of novelty in substantially the construction, combination and arrangement of the several parts hereinafter more fully described and claimed and shown in the accompanying drawings illustrating this invention, and in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine of this character constructed in accordance with the principles of this invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken on line 22, Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a sectional view taken on line 3-3, Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a detail sectional view taken on line 1-4, Figure 3, with parts omitted.

Figure 5 is a detail view partly in elevation and partly broken away, taken on line 55, Figure 3.

Figure 6 is an enlarged detail top plan view of F igurefi, with parts omitted and partly broken away.

Figure 7 is a sectional view taken on line 7-7, Figure 5.

Referring more particularly to the drawings the numeral 10 designates generally a hopper of any desired size and configuration and is supported by a suitable base 11.

Projecting above the hopper are spaced uprights 1213, and between these uprights a feeding device is arranged.

The uprights 12 and 13 are preferably spaced from the sides of the hopper and are constructed so as to form openings 14t15 and between which uprights a rotary pick up device operates.

The pick up device preferably consists of two disc like elements 1617, one of which is provided with gear-teeth 18.

The discs 16 and 17 are each provided Serial No. 65,869.

with radially arranged arms or surfaces 19, and the arms 19 of the respective elements 16 and 17 are laterally spaced from each other by means of a spacing member 20. This spacing member 20 is provided with radially arranged arms 21 which stand between the arms 19 of the elements 1617, and the elements 16, 17 and 20 are secured together in any desired or suitable manner such as by means of fastening devices 22. One face 23 of the arms 21 of the element 20 terminates below the adjacent faces 24 of the arms 19 of the elements 16 and 17 so as to form a recess between the elements 16 and 17, and in which recess the blanks 25 rest and travel-to be feed by the pick up device through the ends of the arms 19.

The feeding device thus formed is supported in any suitable manner preferably by means of rollers 26-27, the roller 27 being provided with gear teeth 28 which mesh with the gear teeth 18 on the element 16 for rotating the pick up device. Motion is transmitted to the gear 27 from any suitable source, not shown.

Any number of arms 19-21 may be provided and are so arranged that when the ele ments l6-17 are rotated said arms will pass into the hopper 10 and pick up the articles contained therein.

The surfaces 24 of the arms 19, and 23 of the arms 21 are preferably curved and the supporting surface 23 of the arms 21 are formed within openings or spaces 29 between adjacent pairs of arms so that when the elements 16 17 are rotated the arms will pass intothe hopper l0 and the blanks 25 (see Figure which are in the hopper will pass into the opening 29 as the latter moves adjacent the bottom of the hopper and the blanks will fall into the grooves or recesses 19 in the arms in such a manner that they will rest upon the bottom of the groove formed by the surface 23 of the arms 21 on the element 20.

As the elements 161-7 or pick up device rotates .in the direction indicated by the arrow, the blanks which have been picked up by one of the arms will gradually move across the bottom 23 of the groove in the arm in a direction toward the axis of rotation of the pick up device, the blanks being discharged or delivered from the arms by gravity and at a predeterminedpoint in the cycle of operation of the device.

Any number of these arms may be provided and they project inwardly from the periphery of the elements 16--17 and terminate considerably short of the axis of rotation of the element.

Co-operating with the arms of the pick up device is a disc like element 31 which is disposed adjacent the axis of the elements of the pick up device and is of a diameter that its periphery will be disposed adj aeent the free extremities of the arms of the pick up device. This disc like element 31 is mounted upon a fixed support 32.

Secured to the lateral face of the disc 31 is a member 33 which is held in position in any suitable manner such as by means of fastening dcvicesjEB-l; in the form of bolts which pass tl'irough the member 33 and also through suitable slots 35 in the disc 31.

The exposed lateral face of the member 33 is cut away so that it will be beveled or inclined as at 36. Carried by the member 33 and abutting the inclined face 36 is a receivor 37, having a slot 38 for receiving the blanks from the pick up device and for delivering the blanks into a raceway 39. The raceway 39 is supported in any suitable manner and passes through an aperture in the wall of the hopper 10. The raceway 39 is independent of the receiver 37 and the extremity of the raceway is disposed in close proximity to the end of the receiver through which the slot or channel 38 passes and in such a position that when the receiver 37 is in the position shown in Figure 5, with respect to the raceway 39, the latter will form a continuation of the slot in the receiver 37. V hen the parts are in this position the blanks 25 will be delivered from the slot 19 in the arms of the pick up device by gravity and pass into the slot or channel 38 and will be delivered from the receiver into the raceway 39.

It will be noted that the receiver 37 is mounted adjacent the inclined face 36 of the member which will cause the slot or channel 38 of the receiver to be disposed at an angle or in an inclined position with respect to the axis of rotation of the pick up device, and as the inner or receiving end of the raceway 39 is also disposed adjacent this surface 36, the raceway will also be inclined to the axis of rotation of the pick up device so that the blanks will be fed in a substantially straight line after they leave the arms of the pick up device until they are delivered out of the hopper.

The receiver 37 is positioned so that the blanks 25 will be delivered thereto from the slots or grooves 19 in the arms of the pick up device at a predetermined point in the operation of the pick up device so thatthe blanks will be fed by gravity.

lVhen it is desired to vary the time in the cycle of operation of the pick up device or the point at which the receiver 37 receives the blanks from the arms of the pick up device, the fastening devices 34 may be loosened and the member 33 together with the receiver 37 may be axially rotated with respect to the supporting disc 31, the slots 35 permitting such rotation, until the receiving end of the receiver 37 has been adjusted to the point at which it is desired that the blanks 25 shall be delivered thereto from the arms of the pick up device. The inner extremity of the supporting surface of the receiver 37 being disposed in close proximity to the inlet of the raceway 39, it will be manifest that the blanks 25 will readily pass from the receiver 37 into the raceway 39 and in any position to which the receiver 37 may be adjusted. A cover plate 40 may be provided for the raceway 39.

Arranged in proximity to the inlet end of the raceway 39 a clearance device preferably embodying a provided with spirally arranged peripheral threads. This clearance device also pref erably embodies a toothed element 42 rotatable therewith and the two are mounted upon a shaft 43 for rotation therewith.

The shaft 43 is mounted in a suitable bearing 44 and in a position that the axis of The element 42 may be employed, if de sired, to assist in removing the surplus blanks from the top of the raceway and deliver them back into the hopper.

In order to permit the shaft 4.3 to be disposed at this angle the member 33 is provided with a. slot 45 and the elemmit 31 may be provided. with a slot 46, and through which -:;l is the shaft- 43 passes. These slots are of such a size and shape that the rotation or adjustment of the member 33 with respectto the supporting disc 31 will not be interfered with.

The clearance device 41 may be raised and lowered with respect to the raceway to compensate the difference in sizes of blanks fed. by the machine, in any suitable manner, but is preferably accomplished by mounting the bearing 44 of the shaft 43 in a manner that it may be bodily adjusted.

To that end the support 32 may be provided with a suitable face against which the face of the bearing 44 rests. The support 32 may be provided with grooves 47 for receiving lugs 48 that are carried by rotatable element 41 the hearing so as to insure the proper movement of the bearing 44 during its adjust mentand for maintaining the shaft A3 in proper position.

l astening devices 49, such as screws or bolts, may be provided for securing the bearing 44 in its adjusted position. Obviously the wall of the hopper 10 and the portion of the support 32 through which the shaft 43 passes are provided with slots to permit of such adjustment.

The shaft 43 is rotated in any desired or suitable manner preferably by means of an endless belt passing over a pulley 51 on the shaft at?) and also a pulley 52, the latter being (-onnectei'l with a pulley 53 for rotation therewith, and the pulley 53 receives its motion from a' suitable source through the medium of a belt 54.

As 11111811118 for assisting in feeding the blanks down the raceway 39, which latter, is inclined so that the blanks will move thercthrough from the hopper, there may be a tappet or tapping device provided which may be of any suitable construction. The device here shown for accomplishing this purpose embodies a shaft 55 which is mounted in suitable bearings 5(S57 so that the end 58 of the shaft will be disposed adjacent one of the walls of the raceway 39. A cushioning device 59 may be provided on the extremity of the shaft and is adapted to engage the wall of the raceway.

The shaft is rotated in any suitable manner such as by means of an endless belt 60 passing over a pulley 61 on the shaft and over a pulley 62 which is preferably connected with the pulley 52 for rotation therewith.

The bearings 56 and 57 are spaced and secured to the shaft 55 for rotation therewith is a collar 63, having a cam device 64 formed thereon, and the adjacent face of the bearing 57 is provided with spaced projections 65 adapted to engage the cam (34.

Intel-posed between the bearing 56 and the collar (33 is an elastic device 66 such as a coil spring which has engagement at one end with the bearing 56 and at its other end with the collar (53.

The shaft 55 is also movable longitudinally in its bearings and the stress of the spring 66 is such that it'tends normally td more the extremity of the shaft 55 into engagement with the "all of the raceway 39.

As the shaft is rotated the cam 64 will engage the projections 65 on the bearing 57 and will ride thereover. This will contract the spring (36 and when the cam 64 has passed out of engagement with one of the projections 65, the spring 66 -will expand and will forcibly move the extremity of the shaft 55 into contact with the wall of the raceway 39.

Any number of projections may be pro vi ded according to the number of blows that it is desired to impart to the raceway.

lVhile the preferred form of the invention has been herein shown and described it is to be understood that various changes may be made in the details of construction and in the combination and arrangement of the several parts, within the scope of the claims, without departin from the spirit of this invention.

V hat is claimed as new is -1. In a device of the nature described, in combination, hopper means, pick-up means for picking up devices from said hopper means, said pick-up means comprising a revoinbie member haw-lug means providing a plurality of troughs extending from near the periphery of said revoluble member to regions short of the axis of said revoluble member, the inner extremities of said troughs being disposed in the periphery of a circle, the center of which is located in the axis of rotation of said revoluble member, and delivery means disposed at an angle to the plane of rotation of said revoluble member and having its extremity closely adjacent to the inner extremities of said troughs as said troughs rotate with said revoluble member, tapping means for said delivery means, a screw cooperatively associated with said delivery means, and means for operating said tapping means and for turning said screw in a direction to move devices in engagement with said screw transversely of said delivery means.

2. In a device of the nature described, in combination, hopper means, pick-up means for picking up devices from said hopper means, said pick-up means 'con'iprising a revoluble member having means providing a plurality of troughs exteni'ling from near the periphery of said revoluble member to regions short of the axis of said revoluble member, the inner extremities of said troughs being disposed in the periphery of a circle. the center of which is located in the axis of rotation of said revoluble member, the botton'is of said troughs being curved oppositely to the direction of rotation of said revoluble member, delivery means disposed at an angle to the plane of rotation of said revoluble member and. having its extremity closely adjacent to the inner extremities: of said troughs said troughs rotate with said revoluble member, tapping means for said delivery means, a screw cooperatively associated with said delivery means, and means for operating said tapping means and for turning said screw in a direction to move devices in engagement with said screw transversel of said delivery means.

3. In a cevice of the nature described, in con'ibination, hopper means, pick-up means for picking up devices from said hopper means, said pick-up means comprising a rev- V bu oluble member having means providing a plurality of troijighs extending from near the periphery of said revoluble member to regions short of the axis of said revoluble member, the inner extremities of said troughs being disposed in the periphery of a circle, the center oi" which is located in the axis of rotation of said revoluble member, delivery means disposed at an angle to the plane of rotation of said revoluble memher and having its extremity closely adjacent to the inner extremities of said troughs as said troughs rotate with said revoluble member, tapping means for said delivery means, a screw cooperatively associated with said delivery means, and sin'iultaneously operating means for operating said tapping means, for turning said screw and for revolving said revoluble means.

4:. In a device of the nature described, in combination, hopper means, pieleup means for picking up devices from said hopper means, said pick-up means comprising a revoluble member having means providine; a. plurality of bottomed troughs extending from near the periphery of said revoluble member to regions short of the axis of said revoluble member, the inner extremities of said troughs being disposed in the periphery of a circle, the center of which is located in the axis of rotation of said revoluble member, the bottoms of said troughs being curved oppositely to the direction of rotation of said revoluble member, delivery means disposed at an angle to the plane of rotation of said revoluble member and having its extremity closely adjacent to the inner extremities of said troughs as said troughs rotate with said revoluble member, tapping means for said delivery means, a screw co operativcly associated with said delivery means, and sin'niltaneously operating means for operating said tapping means for turning said screw and for revolving said revoluble means.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, on this 28th day of October, A. D. 1925.

PAUL H. MCCAIN. 

